little brittle toy soldiers
by annicaspoon
Summary: They're going off to war. Snk!AU


**A YJ AU in the Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan universe.**

* * *

"No."

"Yes."

"Garfield."

"_Don't _'Garfield' me. You don't get to do that."

There's a smudge of dirt on his cheek and M'gann wants to reach a hand out and rub it away.

She also wants to bundle him up and give him a proper home and more food than the rations that have been assigned to him. She wants to keep him somewhere safe so he can remain happy and innocent forever. But it's too late for that, and all she can do it make sure that her position in the Scouting Legion provides as much as it can for him, and beg, with every ounce of will she has, for him to not go through with this.

"I'm going to enroll in the military next year, M'gann. Whether you want me to or not."

She doesn't know when his eyes transformed from wide innocence to sharp determination. There's a new-borne glint in them that reminds her of the blades she carries out into the field, and she has no idea when her silly, enthusiastic little brother was forced to grow years above his age.

Except she does. And the reminder of it plagues her everyday.

"You're too young," she whispers. Too young to join the military. Too young to fight the horrors that are the Titans. Too young to have seen their mother killed before his eyes.

But Gar's lips are set firmly against each other. "I'll be thirteen. That's how old you were when you joined. I could've even joined this year."

"That was-" She sighs. "It was different when I joined. There wasn't as much at stake. We still had Wall Maria and the outer ring."

Gar shrugs. "All the more reason for me to join up. You guys need as many people as you can get, right? I can't just stick around here when ther-"

"Gar! You have no idea what it's like out there!" M'gann's hands move on instinct, shooting out to grip on his arms. "You have no idea what it's like having to face those monsters, watching people you know and care about die!"

Gar hisses and pulls out of her grip. "The hell I don't," he says. "I saw _all of that_, M'gann. I saw the _entire district_ fall to them two years ago."

"...I know. I know." The 3D gear harnessed onto her hips feels heavier than before, and M'gann eases down to her knees.

"I saw them take Mum."

"I know. And Gar," she raises her head to catch his eyes, "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I really am."

"That's just it, though." One look into his eyes and M'gann knows there's no way she can try and change his mind. "You _weren't_ there. What am I supposed to do next time you're not there?"

She's got eight solo kills and twenty-seven assists on Titans in the four years she's been in the Scouting Legion. She was 6th in her class' graduation from the training squads; with an open slot in the Military Police faction. She's one of the strongest members of the Scouting Legion.

"I have to join next year's class, M'gann."

Yet she can't talk her twelve year old brother out of this.

M'gann closes her eyes and inwardly prays for any possible form of divine intervention to stop her brother's inhibition in its tracks.

But praying failed them over a hundred years ago. There's no use in trying to pray now.

"You are not going to join the Scouting Legion, got it?" Gar gives her a confused look. "You're going to join the training squads next year, and you're going to work as hard as you can to get in the top ten and join the Military Police. You can do that, I _know_ you're smart and talented enough to be able to do that." She opens her eyes to meet his, and grips onto his shoulders. "Promise me, Gar."

Gar shifts and nods. "Promise."

His sister sighs, pulling him into a hug.

Gar uncrosses the fingers behind his back.

* * *

Only yesterday Wally West was dreading having to stick along for this. Then again, that was probably the point; this _is_ supposed to be punishment.

But hell, he can't possibly get _any _punishment out of this.

Seeing the new cadets lined up - an awkward mismatch of fear, cockiness and determination - makes him wonder whether his class was this much of an uncoordinated heap. Scanning the rows, entertained, he catches the eye of his cousin, Bart, who grins and flicks a thumbs up in his direction.

_Right _as Commander Diana Prince circles past the recruits.

The Commander pins down on Bart's chipper attitude immediately, stopping right in front of him. Head held high, she turns to him and looks down at him with a quiet ferocity.

"You!" She barks. Everyone seems to stand a little straighter. "Name!"

"Bart Allen, ma'am!"

"First rule, Cadet Allen." Prince looks down at him. "You _never_ call me ma'am."

"Uh - yes sir!"

Wally snorts into his hand as the Commander moves onto her next victim. Her attention is drawn to someone else, and Bart chances shooting a look towards him. The expression of perplexity and fear draws another chuckle from Wally.

"Have I missed much?"

Wally chokes off in the middle of his laugh and whirls around towards the voice. Upon seeing who it is, he relaxes his shoulders and curses. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to weld a bell onto you," he mutters.

Dick Grayson smirks. "Full marks in stealth. You could put ten bells on me and you still won't see me coming."

"What are you doing here, anyway? Don't tell me Commander Wayne's son was put on temporary probation also?"

"No. Not everyone is as stupid as you." Dick adjusts the tan jacket on his shoulders and looks through the lines of recruits. "Tim enrolled. And Babs got called up to the north of Wall Rose to study the Titan activity up there, so she couldn't stop by."

Wally also scans the crowd and notices the stiff salute of Dick's brother close to the front of the pack. "And I take it Tim's okay with you and Babs checking up on him on his first day?"

His friend doesn't reply.

"So, he doesn't know."

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him," Dick mumbles, eyes trained on the kid.

"You of all people know that's the biggest pile of bullshit ever said." Wally looks to Dick. "Dick, I _am_ stuck here for the next six weeks. I can keep an eye on him if you want me too."

"I know," Dick says, before their conversation is drowned out by the voice of Commander Prince; multiple octaves louder than earlier.

"_Would you like to repeat that statement, Cadet Harper?_"

The two graduates turn their attention to the scowling boy that the Commander has fixed onto. The boy rolls his eyes and folds his arms across his chest. "I said this initiation is stupid," he mutters. "You already know our names. They're on the enrollment list. And we're clearly all here because we want to be in some form of the military. So why don't we skip this crap and get on with the _real _training already?"

Both Wally and Dick wince.

Diana Prince's face is oddly calm as she asks, "So you want to start 'real' training now, do you?"

They've both seen this circumstance play out before.

"Start running laps around the camp then. Now!"

Roy Harper gives a confused look. "For how long?"

"Until you are unable to walk back to your cabin, of course. There's no time for rest if you want to train."

The crowd of recruits is silent, all eyes trained on Roy.

"Well, go on now! You wanted to start your real training! Go!"

He finally moves off, and the Commander continues her rounds around the cadets. "Name!"

"Jaime Reyes! Formerly of Wall Maria"

Wally rolls back his shoulders and chuckles. "There's always one of them in a year," he says. "Do you think that kid will straighten out like Conner did?"

But his friend doesn't answer, instead straightening up and edging ever so slightly towards the cadets. Wally follows his gaze and notices the Commander looking at Tim up and down.

"And who are you, cadet!"

The boy straightens his back and tightens his salute. "Tim Drake, sir! From residence inside Wall Sina!"

Commander Prince raises an eyebrow. "The inner ring? And out of all the possible occupations you could have chosen from, why join the military, Cadet Drake?"

"I'm following the members of my family, sir, as they have all served in the military before me."

"So that's what you are? A follower? A _sheep_?"

"W-well. I…" Tim stammers and breaks away from her gaze to look at the ground.

"Do you know what happens to sheep, Cadet Drake?"

The silence extends for a moment, and Wally knows that Commander Prince is about to step in and answer the question for him, giving with it, humiliation and a stifling feeling of stupidity.

But something seems to harden on Tim's face, and he swallows before raising his head to meet the Commander's eyes once again.

"Yes. I do know, sir. Sheep get slaughtered."

A flicker of respect crosses the Commander's face and she steps away, almost smiling.

"Smart boy."

Wally glances to Dick. "You teach him that one?"

"No." Dick is frowning. "I don't think any of us did."

Commander Prince continues to walk the lines of recruits, passing rows and rows of those who can become soldiers, and those who will not. She stops once again in front of a young, eager-looking blonde who smiles at her.

Diana narrows her eyes and gives the girl a measured look. "Name."

"Cassandra Sandsmark, ma-uh. Sir!"

"And why are _you_ here, Sandsmark?"

"Well actually," the blonde grins. "I'm here hoping one day I'll be like you, Commander."

"Excuse me?"

Dick and Wally share equal looks of perplexity. "Did she just-?"

"I think she-"

"...what just happened?"

Commander Prince continues to frown at Cassandra, and the young girl seems to almost bounce a little.

"Everyone in my village has heard about your exploits against the Titans for years, sir," Cassie says. "You're like, one of the greatest commanders across all military factions! To have the opportunity to train under you is jus-"

The Commander holds up a hand to halt the girl. "Cadet Sandsmark," she says. "Has anyone ever told you that flattery will get you nowhere?"

"

Well." Cassie looks down at her feet. "No. Not really."

"Good." A flicker of a smile crosses the Commander's face so fast that no-one looking closely would miss it. "If anyone does, ignore them."

Cassie smiles and salutes, hand over her heart. "Yes sir."

Back on the skirts of the crowd, Wally turns to Dick. "Did that seriously just happen?"

Continuing along the row, more names are announced and purposes stated. Wally shifts his weight from one foot to the other, and notes that some of the recruits are also getting restless. He takes a quick look at the watch hanging from his belt.

"They should be finishing up soon," he mutters, "it's almost time for dinner."

Dick snorts - "Of course you'd be thinking about dinner" - and watched as Commander Prince made her final round among the cadets.

"You. Name."

The boy she's addressing looks up at her through limp locks of auburn hair. There's a smirk on his face as he answers. "Garfield Logan. Shiganshina District."

There's a hush around the crowd, and Dick and Wally exchange looks. Commander Prince however, is unperturbed by the information, and continues with her process. "And what is your purpose in joining the military, Cadet Logan?"

"Well, sir," he shrugs. "You need me."

Diana's chin raises and she regards the boy with cool curiosity. "Is that so?"

"Yes. It is."

"Cadet Logan," Commander Prince steps closer, "each year, we get hundreds of new recruits enrolling. Many of them don't make it to the end of the three years training; we _don't _need them. So, what makes you so special?"

"Logan…" Wally turns to his friend. "That wouldn't be M'gann's brother, would it?"

Dick snorts. "Take one look at him. Could he be related to anyone else?"

"Well, for five years, you guys in the military have been floundering around trying to figure out what to do with the new threat," Garfield says, "but you've all been sticking to the same methods that you were using before the fall of Wall Maria. You've gotten nowhere with that." He shrugs, still holding the Commander's gaze. "You need soldiers who will think outside of the military's box. One's that'll stop trying to follow your traditions and say something crazy like, 'hey, why not seal the outer gates and think about a pulley system or wall tunnels to get outside the walls?'"

Ever aware of the hundreds of eyes on him, Gar continues to stare steadily at Commander Prince. "Look," he says. "I'm here to _actually_ make a difference against the Titans. That simple."

Commander Prince looks almost amused. "As admirable as a speech that was, boy, you don't have any say in who we decide we need or not." Her voice drops to a dangerous, low whisper. "And right now, I don't need you here. You may join Harper in those laps. Move!"

For a moment it seems like he's going to argue, but Garfield nods and begins to run off in the direction of the fence. All of the wide-eyed cadets watch him move away, and Wally gives a low whistle.

"I don't know about you," Wally says to Dick, "but I like him."

"I thought M'gann said that her brother was looking towards joining the MIlitary Police." Dick frowns.

"Yeah, she did. And?"

Dick rolls his eyes and gives his friend a deadpan look. "Did _that_," he jerks his head towards the recruits, "really sound like a kid who's planning on working in the safety of the inner ring his whole life?"

* * *

Everything aches. With each step Gar's limbs harden a little more and his muscles turn wooden. At the beginning of their punishment, he and Roy had talked amongst themselves ('talking' being Roy continually finding something about the military training to complain about), but soon enough the breath they wasted on that had to be saved for their lungs.

As they round the fence closest to the residence cabins, the new supervisor on post waves for them to come over. Gar glances at Roy, who manages a puffed shrug, and the two run towards the extended hand.

The redhead grins at them, sitting on an upturned crate. "I think you kids have been punished enough for today," he says. "Rest it off. Tomorrow's going to be a huge day for you all."

Both Roy and Gar bend over and take in huge gasps of air. Roy drops down onto his butt, and swears between gasps.

"These assholes are sadistic," Roy growls. Their supervisor stands up from the crate and hands him a water flask.

"Oh, we're not _that_ bad," he smirks. "We could've gotten a Titan to chase after you. _That_ would've been sadistic." He hands another flask to Gar. "Also, hey – _I_ managed to sneak out a little grub for you guys."

Gar mutters a thanks and guzzles down the water. He pours some of the water onto his hand and splashes it onto his face before he realizes their senior is staring at him.

"Garfield Logan, correct?" Gar nods and shakes the hand that suddenly appears in front of his face. "I'm Wally West," the supervisor says, "I'm in the Scouting Legion with your sister."

"Wait," Roy cuts in. "So, you've actually seen and killed Titans?"

Wally nods. "Four of them." Roy frowns.

"That's not very impressive."

Gar snorts. "I bet it's more than you've killed, sunshine." He turns to Wally. "I don't get it. Why's a member of the Scouting Legion stuck down here supervising us?"

"Well…" The older soldier pulls a face. "That's kinda… what happens when you and fellow soldier get a little overzealous with your observations on a captured Titan." Wally glances around. "Future tip for you: Don't use military gas to try and understand the extremes of a Titan's respiratory system. That is, if Titans happen to have them."

A grin emerges on Gar's face and he chuckles. "That's insane. Were you able to find out anything useful?"

"Unfortunately, no." Wally runs a hand through his hair. "We lost the control we had over our friend and had to kill him. It was a shame. We were almost about to celebrate his one week capture-versary."

Roy snorts. "You scouts are crazy." He wipes his face with the back of his hand and stalks off towards the cabins. "There's no way in hell I'm ever going to end up like you guys."

He's ignored however, as Gar begins to launch a flurry of questions towards Wally. "Have you learnt yet the extent of a Titan's senses? Do they rely on a sense of smell that attracts them to humans? It is certain that the Colossal and Armoured Titans can only break through the gates and not the actual walls? Do you thi-"

"Woah." Wally holds up a hand. "You should probably save those questions for your history and information sessions of your training. I'm pretty sure they'd know this kind of information a lot more than I do."

Gar narrows his eyes. "Maybe. But would they actually answer?"

Wally halts, and turns away from the boy to look out over the training campus. "Tell you what, Mini-Logan," he says. "Go to your sessions and do your training over the weeks, then if you have any… 'unanswerable' questions, ask me on your Sundays. Okay?"

Gar nods and begins to follow Roy to the cabins. "Sounds awesome. Thanks."

"No problem, kid," Wally smiles. "And Garfield?" The boy pauses and turns his head back to him. "Try to keep yourself out of trouble, alright?"

Gar smirks. "Or what?"

"Or I'll dob you in to your sister."

The smirk immediately falls away. "Yes sir."


End file.
